Manny Ramirez

Joe Torre goes to a Billy Joel/Elton John concert here the other night and wears earplugs because he can't handle the noise. Manny Ramirez goes to work every day, from the moment he's spotted until the day is over, hearing "Manny, Manny," or "Manny, over here," or "Manny, please." He takes a step here, and he hears it. There, and he hears it. "I hear it," he admits and without annoyance. "I'm against the clock now," he says. "How much more can I play? God only knows. So why not enjoy it all?

The spring version Freeway Series might be nothing more than the Next Game on the Schedule these days, but the crowd at Dodger Stadium could get plenty riled up tonight. Manny Ramirez is back. And he'll play. With opening day only four days away, Manager Joe Torre said he wanted to get his team reacquainted with its home ballpark, which is why Ramirez and the other starters are scheduled to play at least seven innings tonight against the Angels.

It was the best national anthem rendition I have ever heard, "better than the game," Russell Martin says later of 16-year-old Charice, "tears in my eyes when she really gets going," Manager Joe Torre says. Then Vin Scully embraces a wounded veteran, who hands him the first pitch -- as good a tag-team performance as you will ever see -- Scully tossing the ball to Torre, the old catcher, who is so thankful he doesn't drop it.

The black-barreled bat owned by Manny Ramirez figured prominently in what happened at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, blasting the $25-million man's first two home runs of the season. The bat's looming presence was credited for the first of the two home runs hit by Andre Ethier in a 9-5 thumping of the Colorado Rockies that extended the Dodgers' winning streak to seven games. "It's obviously the case," Ethier said. Ramirez was out of the game by the bottom of the seventh, but the bat wasn't.

There were more errant throws by both teams at AT&T Park on Tuesday night, more misplayed balls in the outfield, more bullpen trouble. The difference? The Dodgers had Manny Ramirez. The Giants didn't. Ramirez helped break a ninth-inning stalemate, doubling for the third time in the game and scoring the go-ahead run in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Giants.

Manny Ramirez's request for a day off prompted Dodgers Manager Joe Torre to entertain the idea of giving periodic breaks to his $25-million left fielder. Ramirez, who turns 37 on May 30, played in 24 of the Dodgers' first 25 games. On Sunday, he sat out. "I knew he was slowing down the last few days but I chose to ignore it," Torre said. "What I've got to do is find a formula where we can space this stuff out." Ramirez's mood wasn't affected by the tightness in his hamstring.

When Alex Rodriguez arrives at Baltimore's Camden Yards today with the New York Yankees, maybe he can explain to us what would possess fellow superstar Manny Ramirez to ingest a substance questionable enough to cost him 50 games and nearly a third of his $25-million salary. A-Rod should know, because he recently admitted to years of steroid abuse while he was making $25 million per season with the Texas Rangers.

The best and brightest neighborhood in the Los Angeles sports landscape is a very different place today. Mannywood has officially gone to hell. The giddy streets are lined in shadows. The colorful houses are painted in lies. The friendly shops are stocked with juice. The mayor is a drug cheat. Manny Ramirez dropped a bomb on Mannywood on Thursday, leveling the Dodgers' spirit, stripping the Dodgers' psyche, and blowing up the Dodgers' safe.

Manny Ramirez might not be eligible to return to the field from his 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy until July 3, but the Dodgers want him back sooner than that. In their clubhouse, at least.